Autumn Wings
by The Light's Refrain
Summary: ONESHOT - Cheren may not know everything, but he knows something. And he'll let Hugh know it. Sequelshipping, Checkmateshipping. HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIKE SLASH!


_Hi! So this is a relatively straightforward, fluffy fic for my friend French Rose, also known as Nike Slash. I hope she, and everyone else, enjoys it :). _

**_Disclaimer: If I owned the Pokemon world, I would just live there instead of here :P._**

Autumn Wings

"_Do it. Do it right. Do it right now." - Anonymous_

Cheren sighed, leaning back against the tree behind him. He had come to Driftveil City today to participate in yet another tournament, and had barely beaten Drayden in a fierce final match. He had been sitting under this tree on the hill ever since, trying, for once, to relax. This place was so nostalgic to him, so he should have been unwind, but…

He gazed at Driftveil City from his perch on the hill, as dusk crept onto the horizon. The revamped city was awash in bright artificial light of new hotels, as orange-and-red leaves flitted about in the rustic streets. It was a strange combination, so different from the place he and that girl scampered down hunting for Plasma grunts. The Cold Storage where they eventually found them didn't even exist anymore, replaced by the Pokemon World Tournament, the honey-trap for combatants the world over.

"Hey Cheren!"

Cheren looked up from his book to see Hugh coming out of the ex-Plasma building nearby, a cascade of fall-colored leaves blowing into his face. Hugh spat out a leaf that had flown into his mouth, but he remained oblivious to the other leaves tangled in his spiky hair. He look tired, probably from another long day of reuniting Pokemon with their Trainers.

"Oh, hey," Cheren answered. "How are you doing?"

Hugh paused, frowning, and his apple-red eyes grew troubled. "Hey, uh, Cheren, can I ask you something?" He plopped down next to him. " 'Cause, you see, uh…"

"Yeah?" Cheren replied, concerned about Hugh's shift in demeanor. It wasn't like the brash boy to sound so uncertain. Either this was serious, or…

"…So I have this…uh, friend," Hugh began, not looking at Cheren. "And he, um, likes this one girl…a lot…"

Cheren had to restrain from smirking. So, it was going to be one of _those_ conversations. "That so? Why does he like her so much?"

"Well, because she's pretty, and happy, and smart, and just a great person…" Hugh said, his eyes growing wistful as a hint of a smile crept on his face. Then he snapped back to reality, his face becoming serious again. "Uh, anyway…I don't know anything about, you know, romance and stuff, so…I was just wondering if you did, you know?"

"Why didn't you just send your friend over?" asked Cheren, though he suspected he knew the answer.

"Oh, he's too much of a wimp, so I told him I would ask about it instead," Hugh replied casually enough. "Besides, I should know this stuff too, right? I mean, it's part of being a man and stuff…so, uh, in case I just happen to find a girl I…just…yeah…"

Cheren could barely contain his laughter. _Hugh, you are such a bad liar_…He thought about his own awkwardness in love, and it helped to sober him up. "I understand. I don't know if I can be much help though. I'm not _that_ experienced with this kind of thing. But…"

But suddenly Hugh wasn't listening. Instead his sights were set on a certain brunette girl walking by the foot of the hill. Her smile was as sunny as ever as her pigtails streamed behind her. She had yet to notice either Hugh or Cheren up above.

Hugh was so entranced by her sudden appearance that he didn't catch Cheren's knowing smile.

"Go to her," Cheren said.

Hugh turned to Cheren in surprise, having apparently forgotten about Cheren's presence.

"You need to tell her how you feel," Cheren went on. "If you don't, you may not get another chance." His smile grew a bit sad. "That's my personal experience, anyway."

"Personal experience?" Hugh asked. "Who was-"

"More importantly, don't think too much about it," said Cheren with a chuckle, giving Hugh a couple firm pats on the back. "Just do it."

Hugh gaped at Cheren for a moment, nodded, stood up, swallowed hard, and then descended down the hill. He shouted to the girl, who halted and stared at him in astonishment.

Cheren watched it all serenely from the hilltop. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could tell by the awkward pauses, Hugh's fidgeting, the girl's curious stare and Hugh's averted eyes how the conversations was unfolding. The girl held her hands behind her back and started restlessly shuffling her feet. Then Hugh blurted something out, and there was nothing but silence and blushing from both of them. The stillness struggled on, until the girl hugged Hugh so abruptly that he nearly lost his balance. After he finally recovered from the sudden embrace, he hugged her back.

Cheren smiled. He remembered when he had his own crush, the girl who would become Unova's hero. He remembered how he had always admired her, even before their journey as Trainers began. But he could never spill out the words he wanted to say to her, though he talked about everything else. And then, when the chaos of Team Plasma finally passed on like a rogue hurricane, and when he finally was going to dislodge those feelings sticking in his throat…

Cheren wondered she was right now. Out romping in the grassy plains of Kanto? Soaking in the hot springs of Hoenn? Had she found what she was looking for?

After Hugh and his girl finally let go of each other, they walked off holding hands. They were unashamed, but not quite brave enough to attempt a kiss yet. But Cheren was sure…

Cheren sighed, and closed the book he was not reading. This place was nostalgic, maybe a bit too much so…

As he summoned his Unfezant and took off into the bright blue sky, Cheren silently wished the new couple the best of luck. One day, he would fly into the future with them.

_IIIIII_

_Cheren's role ended up being a bit more prominent than expected, considering that he ended up the POV character for this one. _

_Thanks for reading! Feel free to tell me what you think! XP_


End file.
